Choices (Story 3 in my Series)
by WafflesRtheBest
Summary: Sofia decides to free Cedric from the dungeon, and makes some hard choices. Part 3 in my series. Cedfia, (adult) Sofia x Cedric, A/U, Cover art by: JessDeaton on DA.
1. Chapter 1

The story goes a little crazy from here on out :-/ but it was also enjoyable to write so I hope you like reading it! :) and I want to thank everyone for all the kind reviews I've gotten! it really helps motivate me to keep writing

Cover Art by JessDeaton on DA

I do not own these characters, Disney does

*** A/U where Sofia is 18 and Cedric is 28 ***

1.

As soon as they had shut her door, Sofia crumpled onto the floor. How had everything gone so wrong?

"Sofia?" Clover was in her room, and he hopped over. "What's the matter?"

"Everything," she said, fighting tears. She looked down at her amulet.

"Anything I can do?" he asked, placing a small paw on her knee.

"I don't know."

"Why don't you tell me what's going on?" He suggested, and she nodded. She told him everything; all about her and Cedric, and about how her parents had reacted, and finally about the amulet.

"I knew he was up to no good,"

"Clover!" Sofia let her shoulders fall.

"Sorry, sorry. But what are you going to do? Now you know he can't be trusted."

"But, I do trust him." She told her friend. "He had a perfect chance to take the amulet from me, I handed it over, and he gave it back. That means something." She just knew it did.

"I suppose it does," he said. "If you say so."

"But what do I do now?" She asked. She looked down at her Amulet, wondering if a Princess would appear to help her, or give her advice. But no one came. Maybe she was the only princess she needed anymore. "I think I have an idea," Sofia said carefully.

She picked herself up, and checked her closet. The mirror was still there.

"What's that?" Clover asked.

"I can use this to travel to Cedric's workshop. Then I can use one of his invisibility potions to go see him."

"Then what?" Clover sniffed the mirror tentatively.

"I want to hear the full story, from him." She told Clover, "and then I am going to get him out of the dungeon."

"But, your parents are going to know who did it, especially when they find the mirror."

"It won't matter, when Cedric leaves, I'm going to go with him." She clutched her Amulet, and ran back to her bed.

"I'm so sorry, Clover." She said, her mind racing.

"Why?" he asked, alarmed.

"I'm leaving the Amulet behind." She said sadly.

Clover gasped, "But, Sof…"

"It's my best chance of convincing my parents that Cedric isn't a threat. And that he is sincere in his feelings for me." She grabbed a parchment and scribbled a quick note, telling her parents everything. How she loved Cedric and knew he was innocent, and that she was leaving with him. "If I leave behind the amulet, and we still leave, they'll have to know that he wasn't just after," she had to clear her throat, "The amulet." She looked at Clover.

"And this way, you'll know too?" he said softly. Sofia couldn't answer, so she leaned down and kissed her friend on his furry forehead. She smiled at him and unclasped the amulet. Clover hopped onto the bed, and watched her set the note and amulet on the bed where both were sure to be found.

"Good bye Clover, wish me luck. Hopefully I'll be back some day." She choked on the words, but smiled at her friend. Clover made small noises that she no longer could interpret. "Take care of yourself." She had to hurry, so she gave him a final goodbye scratch behind the ears.

She rushed back into her closet. She grabbed a small bag, and shoved a few simple essentials into it. She grabbed the two wands, hers and Cedric's spare, and opened the portal between the mirrors.

One inside Cedric's tower, she tried to listen for voices or footsteps, but it appeared that she was alone. But then she heard a familiar caw of annoyance.

"Wormwood!" Sofia ran to his perch.

He ruffled his feathers, and cawed at her.

"I don't have my amulet," she told him, in case he was trying to speak to her. "Cedric is in trouble."

Wormwood cawed again, looking her over.

"I don't have time to explain," She grabbed a loose piece of parchment and wrote a quick note for Cedric on it. "He's in the dungeon, can you take this to him?" She held out the note after rolling it up.

Wormwood eyed the paper, but finally held out one of his claws so that she could gently tie the note to it. The raven seemed to roll his eyes at her, and then he flew out an open window

She began to rummage through his shelves, keeping an ear out for any noises above her, in case someone came into Cedric's workshop. Luckily, Cedric tended to keep bits of everything everywhere, and since she was the one who organized his workshop she found what she needed easily; a few vials of invisibly potion and since there would probably be a guard she grabbed a pouch of sleeping powder.

Deciding not to take any chances, she poured some of the invisibility potion on herself before heading up the stairs. The dungeon was a bit of a walk from where she was now, so she kept it handy in case she needed to use more. She walked up into his workshop, and was relieved to see that there was no one guarding the door. She raced down the stairs and through the halls, careful to do so quietly. As Sofia passed the throne room she heard the sound of heated voices. Her family was still there, and arguing about her. Her steps slowed, and she stopped to listen.

"I think we should trust her," James said. "If he was a threat she would know."

"She isn't thinking clearly." Her father said to him. "You heard Goodwin the great, he saw them kissing. Clearly he has enchanted her somehow."

"We should have heard what they had to say for themselves," her mother said. "You were too hasty," she added.

"It doesn't matter that he _no longer_ wants to take her amulet and use its magic to take over the kingdom. The point is that he _did_ plot to do it." Her father paced the room, and then punched his open hand. "I've got it, we will banish him. Eventually Sofia will forgive us."

"I doubt that," Queen Miranda said. "She's always been so fond of Cedric, I doubt this is a fleeting crush."

"Even more reason to get rid of him, he could easily be manipulating her. She's confined to her room until she comes to her senses." King Rolland said firmly.

"I still don't think Cedric is a threat, you should reconsider banishing him." James said.

"His own father warned us about him, and he has gotten much more talented over the years. I think we can consider him fairly dangerous now, particularly if he has swayed Sofia to his side."

Sofia decided that she had heard enough, and walked quietly passed them. She gave one final, fond look at her family. Even her father, she knew that in his own way he was trying to do what he thought was best for her. She couldn't be mad at them, especially since she didn't know when she would ever see them again.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

Sofia finally reached the dungeon, and luckily there was only one guard. He was sitting by the entrance looking very bored. She hit him with the sleeping powder and took the keys from his pocket. The guard slumped over and then fell out of the chair. She carefully stepped over him, and opened the large wooden door. The dungeon was dark and dirty, but also fairly small. It was just that one room behind the door, but she couldn't see Cedric. It was too dark. It was actually Wormwood that caught her attention first. He was hopping on the floor, cawing at a shadow.

"Oh Wormy, you shouldn't be here" Cedric reached down and smoothed the raven's feathers

"Cedric," Sofia said quietly. She had expected him to startle, but he didn't even look up. He must have read the note, and known that she was coming

"Princess Sofia, you should not be here either." He said it so formally that it made her chest tighten.

"Why?" She asked. Even though she knew now wasn't the time, but she also really wanted to know.

"Why did I want to steal your amulet?" he asked. She was grateful that he seemed to know what she meant.

"Yes."

"Because, I am no good." He lowered his head into his arms and didn't say another word. His hands were in shackles in front of him.

"Tell me why," She asked again, taking another small step closer. The invisibility potion was wearing off, she could almost see her hands.

He didn't say anything.

"Cedric," she pleaded, "Say something."

He remained silent, still not looking at her.

She was suddenly furious at him, and the words began to pour out of her before she could stop them. "If you won't tell me why, then _I'll_ tell you why." She said, the invisibility potion sparkled and then died. "You wanted the power because you wanted to be respected. Your father, my father, they all put you down. They never recognized your accomplishments. I know how much that bothers you."

Cedric stood and went to her, scowling, "I am a villain, Princess Sofia. I can't even count the number of times I tried to trick you into handing that amulet over." In the dim lighting, he could pass for a villain. His eyes were narrowed, and for a moment Sofia glimpsed a real darkness there. She could admit that what her father had said was true. When she had met him, he had been so timid and easily thrown off that he hardly posed a threat. But over the years she had tried her best to inspire confidence in her friend, and in doing so had created a very dangerous man. But he was _her_ dangerous man.

"I see the man hiding behind the villain you're pretending to be." She told him defiantly. If anything this realization just meant that he needed her now more than ever. "And I already handed over the amulet to you once, remember? You gave it back." She pointed out. The memory of his odd behavior struck her as an obvious internal struggle on his part, at least it did now. At the time she had only been happy that he had gotten the black stuff off of her amulet.

Cedric looked away, shoulders slumped.

"I forgive you, Cedric," she said. She reached out for his hands, and used the keys to unlock the shackles.

"What are you doing?" he asked. He looked up at her, absently rubbing his wrists.

"What does it look like?" Sofia countered. "here," she handed him a vial of invisibility potion. "We're leaving the kingdom. Do you want to stop at your workshop for anything?"

"We? I know you said you forgive me, but you shouldn't do this. I can't let you." He said.

"Try to stop me," she said. His lip twitched, which filled her with hope. She knew he was trying not to smile. "Now, come on. We don't have a lot of time."

Sofia and Cedric made their way back to his tower, walking cautiously. When they were safely in the empty workshop Cedric finally seemed to notice something missing. Sofia felt naked without the amulet, so the lack of its presence had been on the back of her mind ever since she had taken it off.

"What happened to your amulet?" He asked, concerned.

"I'm leaving it behind." She said carefully. This was probably the biggest test, even though she trusted him. She did trust him, didn't she?

"Why?" he asked, turning away to start gathering supplies.

"Because it'll show my parents that you weren't after my amulet," her throat seemed to swell so she swallowed before adding, "this time."

Cedric froze, but then continued adding magical ingredients to his pack. "I should go alone." He said.

"I told you I would make them approve of you, and this seems to be the only way. I can't make them listen to me. I'll just have to show them, _we_ will have to show them." Her voice cracked. Doubt began to sneak its ugly tendrils into her mind, but she fought it.

"I don't want you to give up your family and amulet for me," he turned and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her against him.

"I'll get them back when their doubt in you is gone." She pointed out.

"What if they never accept us? Are you really sure you want to leave all of this behind? And, after everything I've done." His words made her chest fell tight, but his touch made her head swim. She found herself blinking away tears.

"Yes, Cedric, I love you." She kissed him, and he kissed her back. She knew this is what she had to do. This way her parents might one day allow them to go back home. A tiny part of her whispered that it was also the only way to prevent Cedric from becoming the villain he was claiming to be.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

They used the invisibility potions, and were out of the castle without incident. Wormwood followed, flying high as a sort of look out. They went on foot, since it was the best way to keep out of sight. Sofia wasn't sure where they should go, but out of Enchancia was the main goal. Sofia still wore the black dress from that morning, but it seemed like days had passed since then. Cedric stopped at the edge of the village.

"It might be best to go through the woods, if we head west we should be in a neighboring kingdom by morning. But, we'll have to stay on the run. When your parents send the royal guard out looking for you they'll find us only if we stop." He led her around the outskirts of the village, and Sofia found herself thinking of Ruby and Jade. They had been such good friends when they were younger, but had drifted apart with age. She wondered what they would think when they heard the news, it would most likely be a big scandal.

They kept moving, until the sun started to rise. They were deep in the woods, and it was safe to stop for a rest.

"Where should we go first?" Sofia asked.

"I've been thinking, and there is a travelling band of thieves that we could possibly hook up with." Cedric sat on the ground. In their haste they hadn't brought food.

"Thieves?" Sofia asked.

"Yes, they aren't so bad though. They abide by a lot of codes and honor."

"How do you know about them?"

"I may have, sought out their services once. Long ago. They would most likely welcome a sorcerer into their group. If they don't recognize you, I'll tell them that you're my apprentice." Sofia didn't ask about what Cedric had wanted them to steal, the answer was obvious.

"I can use a locator spell, we'll have to follow it until we meet up with them." He started to rummage in his bag, but Sofia stopped him. They had been running, and hiding for hours. Now that they had stopped the weight was settling back on her shoulders. There was one way to forget about that weight, so she crawled over to him. When he realized what she was doing, he pulled her against him. They kissed and lied down on the damp grass.

His heat melted away the worries she wasn't ready to face. They had a plan, and that was good enough for now. She wrapped her arms around him, toying with his hair. They kissed slowly and sweetly at first, but then it became desperate.

When Sofia couldn't stand it anymore she pried herself away. He shuddered and watched her as she sat up, catching her breath. Desire burned bright within her, but she didn't want their first time to be like this. Wild and bittersweet, in the woods, on the run. It also occurred to her that he hadn't told her that he loved her. She had told him, but he hadn't said it back. He had only told her once that he liked her, a lot. This made her grin, and allowed her to ignore the nagging doubt that was starting to build. She looked at him, he was breathless as she was.

"I'm not going to pressure you," he said, seeming to sense her thoughts. She smiled, wanting to kiss him again, but afraid they had already run out of time. They needed to keep moving.

"We should probably get going, can you cast that locator spell?" She was eager to see him do this, she hadn't seen it done before.

"Yes, I can. But, would you like to try?" he asked. Sofia grinned.

"Is there time to teach me?" she said, her voice burning with hope.

"It's a simple enough spell," he pulled out a book that he had grabbed last minute, and turned pages until he found what he was looking for.

He showed her how to stand, and how to hold her wand, and helped her pronounce the words. When he was done he stood back and let her attempt it. She messed up the first few times, but he encouraged her to keep trying. Finally, she succeeded. A tiny fluttering purple butterfly, made of smoke, appeared.

"Now just tell it what you want to locate, and we follow." He smiled as he looked at the butterfly. "When I do it, it's a black raven."

"Really?" she asked, looking up at Wormwood who was looking down at them from in the trees.

"Tell it you want to find the thief Demetri. He'll be with his men."

She did as he told her, and the butterfly danced in a circle before flying slowly in an eastern direction.

** Demetri the thief and his men are more OC characters (Hope y'all don't mind…)


	4. Chapter 4

**Ignore how often I forget about Wormwood... I swear he's there

4.

They walked until they couldn't walk anymore. Sofia's whole body ached, she was hungry and exhausted. The sun was already starting to set, and they'd had nothing but water from a river. They had walked the rest of last night and all day. The small butterfly that was leading them continued on relentlessly, and when they stopped it kept going.

"What are we going to do?" Sofia groaned, watching her butterfly slowly fly further into the trees.

"You can conjure another after we get some sleep," Cedric said slowly, yawning. He stumbled and fell, but then just sat down.

"I can't believe we've been through all these woods and haven't seen a single edible berry bush." Sofia sat down, feeling defeated. When she hadn't been watching the butterfly she had been keeping an eye out for any kind of food.

"I wish I could conjure some, but I don't have what I need." Cedric crawled over to her slowly. "We should try to get a little bit of sleep, we can try to find food when we wake up." He yawned. He lied down in the grass next to her. She yawned and leaned back, resting next to him. There were things she wanted to say, but exhaustion kept her quiet.

Sofia woke up when she heard a noise, was it a branch snapping? It was dark, so when she opened her eyes she didn't see anything. She reached out for Cedric, and was relieved that he was still beside her, and also awake. She hadn't remembered falling asleep, but she did remember how tired she had been.

There was another rustle, something or someone was close by. Sofia tensed, and felt Cedric move to stand. She joined him, and as her eyes started to adjust to the darkness she could make out Cedric taking out his wand.

"We're not alone," he told her.

"That's very observant, Cedric." A voice in the darkness said. Behind some trees there was a flicker of orange light, and a man stepped out holding a small lantern. Sofia looked around to see that they were surrounded by hooded figures holding torches or lanterns.

Cedric relaxed, "So you saw the butterfly," he said.

"Who are they?" Sofia asked, grabbing for Cedric's hand.

"You brought someone with you this time?" The man stepped closer, and Sofia could finally see his face. He was tall and lean, his face was darkened by a brown goatee, and he wore a dark green top and brown pants. She still couldn't make out any of the other people circled around them. Even though Cedric remained relaxed, she was still nervous.

"Let me Introduce you, Demetri, this is -" Cedric started to speak, but Demetri cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"I know who she is," Demetri took Sofia's hand and kissed her politely on the wrist. He then looked up and smirked at Cedric, who crossed his arms in response. "It's an honor, your majesty." He stood, and Sofia curtsied.

"Pleased to meet you," she said, out of habit.

"Yes, well, we were wondering if you'd be willing to let us travel with you for a time." Cedric said, carefully watching Demetri.

"Ah, yes, word has spread about your…" Demetri trailed off, "scandal." He said simply. Sofia nervously smoothed her dress.

"That was fast." Cedric placed an arm around Sofia's waist.

"So will you let us travel with you?" Sofia asked. She leaned against Cedric, and tried not think of her family. They must be so worried about her.

"I don't know, there are a lot of people out there searching for you two."

"Aren't a lot of people searching for you, as well?" Cedric pointed out.

"Well, it's been a while since we've had the company of such," Demetri reached out and took Sofia's hand to kiss again. "A lovely lady." Sofia laughed awkwardly, she wasn't sure what to say.

"That's enough," Cedric pulled Sofia's hand away from Demetri's grip, glowering. Demetri grinned and winked at her. Sofia blushed and looked at her feet, she wanted to be polite, but the attention was making her nervous. She could feel irritation practically radiating off Cedric in waves.

"Well," Demetri stood straighter and laughed. "I bet you're both starving, follow me back to our camp." Then he turned to the figures that surrounded them, "Good news men!" his voice boomed. "We've got two new companions with us."

The men answered with a cheerful, "Huzzah." This made Sofia nervous, and Cedric put his arm back around her.


	5. Chapter 5

5.

They followed Demetri and his men back to their camp. Wormwood kept his distance from the thieves, but followed them from the sky. Cedric stayed unusually close to her, but she didn't mind. Soon she was very distracted by the smell of cooking meat. Demetri's camp was occupied by a few more men, and they were happy to see their returning leader.

Demetri asked for everyone's attention, and they quickly quieted down to give it to him. Demetri wedged himself between her and Cedric, and placed his arm over both of their shoulders.

"Do you all remember Cedric the Sorcerer?" Demetri shouted. The men jeered and laughed, Demetri seemed to take that as a yes. Cedric grimaced, and snorted . She was about to correct Demetri in regards to Cedric's title but Demetri shook her slightly and began shouting to his men again.

"And this lovely maiden is Princess Sofia." This caused a lot of excitement. The men howled and whistled.

She fought the urge to bolt, and said to the men, "I think Sofia is sufficient, considering the circumstances." Demetri's men raised their mugs and glasses, shouting an echo of her name. She forced a smile. Despite their rowdy behavior, they seemed somewhat friendly and agreeable. Though that could possibly be due to all of the alcohol she smelled in the air.

"Just Sofia then! Let's welcome them in proper outlaw style." Demetri's shouts were met with even more cheering. Finally he released Cedric and Sofia from his grip. Before she knew what was happening they were being led to the fire, and plates of food were shoved into their hands. She was far too hungry to eat like a princess, much to the men's amusement. The rest of the night was full of food, wine, and laughter. Cedric stayed close and glared at anyone who got too close to her. Despite this, the men took turns introducing themselves. She couldn't keep track of all of their names, and the wine made her dizzy. Cedric stayed fairly sober, but eventually loosened up. He even did a few magic tricks which the men enjoyed immensely. Wormwood stayed out in the trees, only swooping in to occasionally take shreds of food from Cedric's plate. This caused a lot of laughter among the men when they would notice.

Eventually Sofia felt tired enough to lean against Cedric and close her eyes. She didn't fall asleep, though it became apparent that the others had thought that she had.

Demetri sat down next to Cedric and nudged him gently. "Couldn't steal 'er amulet so you settled for her heart, eh?" he said before bursting out in laughter.

Cedric sighed. "Something like that, I guess." Cedric said quietly. She could hear annoyance in his tone.

"So how long do you think you two can elude capture? Word is the King is furious, and has the entire royal guard out searching for you both." Sofia could hear more liquid being poured and drank. Cedric placed a hand on her arm and she smiled despite pretending to be asleep. Hopefully they wouldn't notice in the dark.

"I don't know. Sofia thinks they'll eventually change their minds…" he trailed off.

"You're wanted for kidnapping, and treason. Not so sure that's going to happen." Demetri pointed out.

"So they are saying I kidnapped her?" Cedric asked. He shifted, Sofia's eyes were closed but she could imagine him frowning. Had her parents read her note? Surely they would have searched her room and found the note and amulet. This unpleasant news upset her, but she decided to keep feigning sleep.

"I knew when we saw you both sleeping on the ground that _that_ was clearly not the case." Demetri's voice was slightly slurred. He laughed easily and gave Cedric's shoulder a slight shake. Sofia could feel the vibrations.

"Obviously," Cedric snapped.

"So? How long do you think you can stay on the run?"

"I don't know." Cedric was clearly annoyed, so Sofia decided to intervene. She let herself slide off his shoulder, but Cedric caught her easily enough.

She gasped, and opened her eyes, "Was I asleep?"

Cedric's lip twitched as he looked at her, "Maybe."

"We should all get some sleep," Demetri gave Cedric another hard pat on the shoulder and stood. "I had John set up a spare tent for you both, I assume you don't mind sharing?" Demetri asked.

Sofia blushed, but didn't argue. They had slept on the ground together, so sharing a tent shouldn't be much different. Demetri pointed out a small black tent, and Sofia and Cedric went to check it out. Demetri had assured them that someone would be kept on watch so if anyone stumbled on the camp they would know about it.

Cedric waited until safely inside the tent to groan, "This may have been a bad idea."

"Sharing a tent?" Sofia asked, surprised.

"No, joining up with them." There were two small cots, Cedric sat on one.

"We don't have to stay, but it was nice to finally eat something." She smiled and stretched. The wine was still making her feel warm. Her worries could wait until morning.

"You weren't sleeping, were you?" Cedric accused. Sofia sighed, so much for putting off her worries.

"How did you know?" She asked, but he gave her a look. Perhaps he knew her as well as she knew him.

"Your parents think I stole you away in the night." He said. The tent was only lit by one small lantern, the shadows danced on his face.

"And to think, they have it all wrong." She said, crossing her arms. If anything _she_ had stolen _him_ away.

"I'm not sure your plan is going to work." He said gently. He shrugged off his sorcerer robe, but didn't seem to notice the burrs and leaves stuck to it. Sofia's own dress was torn and dirty. She had another simple dress, that would be more comfortable to sleep in, but she'd have to change into it. That made her blush even harder than before. She shoo the thought away.

"It'll work. Maybe they haven't found the note yet," Sofia reminded him.

"The note you left on your bed next to the amulet?" Cedric said, skeptical.

"Maybe they didn't check my room out very well," Sofia said, twirling a strand of her hair.

"You might have to go back, alone." He said. Her heart fell a little.

"Do you want me to go?" She couldn't hide the hurt in her voice.

"No, that's part of the problem." He said "I want you to stay with me, even if we can never go back." He put his head in his hands and exhaled loudly.

"You worry too much," she lifted his chin and bent down to kiss him. Things would work out, they just had to give it time.

**the end... well until the next one. I have at least one more in mind at this moment of time. (Though that may have changed by the time this is posted)**

**Hope everyone likes it, the story took an interesting turn O.O and if you're wondering, I am very aware that Cedric hasn't said I love you to Sofia yet... I imagine it would be a hard thing for him to say.**


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